The present invention relates to an apparatus for shaping a plastic, deformable or dough-like material into a generally spherical or ball-like shape.
In a wide variety of processes, it is desirable for a deformable, plastic or dough-like piece of material to be worked or rolled into a ball shape. For example, in the food industry, rolling of a dough into a ball may be desirable to obtain a particular color, shape and/or texture of the ultimate food product. To form a bread with a crust, it is necessary to work the bread dough and roll it into a ball prior to baking. Rolling the dough into a ball shape prior to baking will also create a desirable internal structure. Rolling of the dough-like material into a ball may also be necessary or desirable to produce various candy products, cookie products and the like.
Heretofore, various proposals have been made for forming dough into a ball shape. Such proposals include devices known as belt rounders, cup rounders, plate rounders, Duchess dividers and cone rounders.
A belt rounder includes an elongated, endless conveyor belt and a shaped shoe which extends at an angle transversely of the belt. A piece of dough will be forced to roll upon itself as the belt moves it into contact with the shaped shoe. The dough will move transversely of the belt during the forming process. The production capacity or speed of a belt rounder is limited. Also, it is operable on only a limited range of dough materials.
A cup rounder is typically used in working dough to produce hamburger or hot dog buns. Such a rounder is a generally cone-shaped device which is placed over a piece of dough on a conveyor. The cup is then moved in an orbital fashion to work the dough. A cup rounder does not provide a true spherical shape. The finally shaped product is generally oblong in configuration and is worked around a horizontal plane. This results in a softer top and bottom and the peripheral crust area.
A plate rounder has been used generally in the candy industry. With this approach, a plurality of pieces of the candy dough material are placed on a stationary lower plate. An upper plate is moved in contact with the pieces. The upper plate is then moved in an orbital fashion. Such a plate device has low production capacity.
Duchess dividers are similar to the plate roller. The divider has an upper plate supporting a plurality of knife-like members which extend radially outward from a central point. The upper plate when moved into contact with the dough cuts the dough into a plurality of pie sections. The upper plate is moved in an orbital or rolling fashion to roll the material into the desired shape.
A cone rounder includes a cone-shaped member which is rotated about its central axis. In one form, a shoe extends in a generally spiral fashion down the outside surface of the cone. The shoe is configured so that a piece of material which is dropped into the shoe at the top adjacent the apex of the cone will move downwardly due to gravity and the rotation of the cone. The dough is subjected to variable velocities which causes it to roll into a generally ball shape. Cone rounders which use the outside surface of the cone are generally prevalent in the United States. In Europe, cone rounders typically have the shoe mounted on the inside surface of the cone. The dough is placed into the cone at the bottom and is moved upwardly towards the base of the cone from the apex. Cone rounders subject the dough material to forces from several different directions at the same time.
The prior devices which have been proposed for shaping plastic, deformable or dough-like materials into ball or spherical-shaped objects suffer from relatively slow production speeds and limitations imposed by the nature of the material being rounded, being effective only with certain types of dough materials. Also, they are generally not effective when the pieces of dough to be rounded are of relatively small size. Dough used to form bread products, cookies, candy and other objects will vary in consistency, oiliness and the like. The prior approaches are not readily adaptable to varying material conditions or characteristics. The prior approaches if not operated properly can tear the material. This results in improper working of the dough and an undesirable internal structure. Further, most prior rounders (other than belt rounders) are not insertable into the high-production multi-lane or row production lines found in the bread industry, candy industry and cookie industry. These limitations seriously restrict production capacity.